Wildlife Biologist's NATURE-FIRST Approach to Landscaping & Home Design - Ep. 269

Wildlife Biologist, Sam Droege, who runs the USGS Bee Lab, invites us to his home and shares with us his laid-back but proactive nature-first approach to wildlife and specialist bee habitat for landscaping and home design. As he joshes in this video, he may not be "a model for most people," but he seriously has some incredible ideas for those of us who appreciate creating wildlife habitat. Sam is surely taking habitat creation to the NEXT LEVEL.
More about the Bee Lab in Beltsville, MD (7b): www.usgs.gov/p...
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[@trayvixk4642]

It would be interesting to revisit Sam's property in the spring or summer when the plants are blooming and there's more wildlife activity. Would love to see how vibrant it is.

[@Tminus89]

This.. And I wouldn't mind if it's also a nice and long episode like this one. I'm watching it in parts, 'wildly' interesting 🙄😋

[@bonniehatcher8198]

She is so excited! I can totallly understand!!!!

[@burgerboot]

I could listen to this dude for a long time… great interview!

[@yurihuta8487]

Sam is a treasure. Please, please let him talk uninterrupted.

[@Capn_Zach]

Agreed. Love her videos, but she really needs to reign in the constant interruptions.

[@ByDesign333]

See, shes got a thermos bottle shes drinking down....Java? 😅 ​@Capn_Zach

[@Capn_Zach]

@@ByDesign333 May indeed be her stimulant of choice! Haha!

[@ARSP33LS]

She's just super excited. Can tell she's passionate, but yes, she needs to work on her interview skills and let the guests speak before asking questions or adding thoughts.

[@mystijkissler8183]

umm I vote cocaine. She is too high for me.

[@emummy2]

I'm an out of the box thinker and very curious so absolutely love these "out of the box" videos. So much to provoke creative thinking in me for my context. Love to watch folks talk about things that excite them. thank you.

[@EighteenandCloudy]

I love these long videos where you deep dive with an expert on a very specialist topic. Thank you.

[@wimhance6541]

"Nature's tragic" 😅 This was hilarious. You have access to the most interesting people. I'm always entertained and informed.

[@K2blades2]

I loved this! Thank you so much! I have a wonderful ecosystem in my yard with many snakes and bees woodpeckers, flickers ect...and I try to spread the love, however I notice most people are not as excited as I am. And sometimes even repelled. SO it is a REAL delight to see fellow nature lovers!

[@digitaltreez]

Very informative vid. We could all use a neighbor like Sam.🐝

[@sandragoerlich7134]

Would love to see his garden in spring,summer and fall , thanks for sharing!!!

[@jencurtis4627]

Very morally clear. I found him so refreshing.

[@charlesbale8376]

Fabulous lecture on pollinators...Really appreciated the information.

[@Eli-vj2wc]

I want to see this mans house, like the interior must “bee” so beautiful, especially considering the love he gives to nature!!!!

[@ovr.lighting]

Wow he has so much interesting knowledge!!!

[@atticbrowser9698]

Absolutely fascinating video. Please do go back later in the year to see Sam again. Thanks!

[@grisespino5342]

Thank you Sam for sharing your knowledge. Many of us don’t do because we don’t know. Hopefully all of us watching can make changes and spread the word. Summer another amazing interview. Thank you Summer and Sander 💚

[@ja-uh9gz]

Fascinating and very complicated, the culture of different bees. Nature is amazing. ♥🐝🐝

[@ricki530]

Wonderful video! I'm an architecture student interested in ecological regeneration. We need more videos like these. Thank you so much!!!!

[@icare6076]

Thank you, Summer and Sam. I LOVED this conversation. So natural and interesting.

[@kerrywynn1949]

Great conversation. Thank you 🦋🐝

[@Westbound100]

This is a gold mine of information!

[@cherylstarke5206]

Excellent!! I always appreciate a classroom on pollinators . Thank you ❤

[@jameswinnett4012]

Amazing video, Summer, Sander, and Joey! This kind of information is what needs the attention of everyone!

[@gwenmayalegre]

I loved, LOVED this video AND Sam who was captivating and funny. Fascinating and informative on so many levels. Much more than "just" creating native bee habitats for your home and landscaping. Although definitely great tips there too. One of your best vids yet.

[@thepipingbagbakery4399]

Very interesting episode….great information, inspiration. And this gentleman is very handsome to boot😊.

[@Fellowtellurian]

This is by far my favorite episode. I always return to it to learn new things. Also, you both are long lost natures twins, very matched energy

[@sharonknorr1106]

This was so helpful. We haven't been cutting anything down that we thought could harbor bees, but didn't realize that they don't bore in from the side, only the pith ends. So we will do some pruning and stack up some of that in places around the yard for the bees if they are interested. One observation I have had over the years, both here in Colorado and also back in central NY was that I don't usually see any of the European type honeybees until late in the summer, usually August, whereas all the other bees seem to start coming around in the spring. We were thinking of getting bees when we first moved out to Colorado, but the bear pressure is just too much. Cool video. Love listening to smart people talk about something they are passionate about - there is a lot of that on your channel with you and Sander leading the way.

[@cynthiahamblin-perry5880]

Thank you! I am so enjoying your channel and these visits. I learn something new everytime I watch you!

[@amandag4556]

The interviewer asked all the good questions, Good job!

[@jsaysyay]

i could say this to every video on here but this video especially is so up my alley it's crazy. so much to think about from it, though conveniently i did have some of those ideas in my head already. i could write paragraphs on all my thoughts from this and all the things it makes me wanna do more now lol. also low key validates some of my "unique" choices in the garden realm

[@amandag4556]

I couldn't have enjoyed this more, thank you!

[@OldManse09]

I enjoyed this very much. Wonderful information. Thanks!

[@peterbathum2775]

great place. thanks for sharing your time with us here.

[@LDFHollister]

Sam! Great to see you getting a chance to show off your awesome lifestyle to Summer's audience. Cheers, Lindsay

[@jerrycornelius4534]

This was amazingly informative - thank you youtube for the recommendation!

[@pennygrimes8425]

Superb, thank you Sam + FFL 🙏

[@LVSpeedweLL]

So appreciate Sam’s approach to gardening with Nature. Great interview questions. Thank y’all very much, learned something today. 😁🦋Great Spangled Fritillaries, favorite.

[@Fellowtellurian]

Another excellent video!

[@RaraAvis1138]

Wonderful! I'm glad to see someone doing what I'm trying to do. It's slow going because of health problems but this spring Im seeing a lot of the fruits of my labours coming to fruition. Fingers crossed my pollinator population will grow tenfold this year.

[@TEPO--]

Ode to storytelling with depth, insights,vibrant visuals and analogies that reveal life lessons that stick, as a rich wild honey...... Great conversation, insights as Spring arrives slowly to my high altitude (still very snowy) mountains..... I did see a very large bumble (mt first of the season) six days ago among the sunny, warm, boulders along the lake shore.... Yay Springtime !

[@TEPO--]

Yes, super fascinating, thank you Sam I have endless natural habits on our land, old stumps and several hundred foot long fallen logs, all Cedar nearly seventy years on our land then growing native gardens among them. Intentional habitats for insects, bees, bunnies actually infinite wildlife that we value dearly. So much information shared today delights, inspires and is very much appreciated.

[@mitzi605]

This was an eye opener for sure

[@Prairiehawkmn]

Awesome, great information, the perfect time of year to share!

[@NickBoileau]

Probably the best video so far.

[@itsmewende]

This was wonderful, thanks for sharing Sam with us. I'm in Md on the shore, just 5 mins from Blackwater refugee, I'll start looking into planting more natives. Something else I find fascinating, how flowers are built to attract the pollinators, seen that in a doc here on YT.

[@vickyjansen3544]

It's amazing how many species of wild bees that I thought were wasps. I have to check out a book on wild bees so I'll know what they look like. I only have a balcony where I try to grow food and now adding more flowers. I love watching nature come on our balcony. We have all sorts of small birds but sometimes have the neighbor hawk because we have squirrels on our deck. My husband saw a duck once too. I live in an apartment complex where people put junk on their decks. Someday we will own a place that I can retire and spend the rest of my life in.

[@RealBradMiller]

Be careful, once you start living the good life and attracting pollinators and wildlife, and growing flowers... It could make you happier, and it could spread like an infection to other people nearby... You wouldn't want that to happen!! 😮😂🎉🍃☘️🥦🐸🥗🥬🍵

[@kirsip7104]

Love this! I love Sam and participate in his bee survey. We’ve done serious demo and reno on our 5 acre property to remove invasives and exotic plants and we’re planting only native plants over 1,000 so far. So glad you’re talking about native plants! When are you going to have Doug Tallamy on?

[@bogtrottername7001]

Doug !!!

[@jetv1471]

Watched your video ( which is a fantastic interview! What a treasure Sam is !)) and now Sam in in the recent edition of National Wildlife spring 2024 👍👏

[@ESowash]

I like all your content but these talks are my favorite! My happy place has always been seeing, hearing, learning about the natural world. The context of natural systems. The box turtle story, the glaciers and fire story, the hard to hear eat or be eaten. I heard “A Part-Time Monk” say he does not think of earth as Mother Earth but more like Sister. Because she can be harsh and a bit careless. Keep this content coming, helps me to educate others in polite conversations.❤

[@davidhuth5659]

This was a great conversation! Love this stuff! Thanks for sharing!

[@Tminus89]

Best speaker on the channel in a while, would love to hear more from him. Like someone else already mentioned, I would also like to see another video in late spring or summer :)

[@soniatriana9091]

Wow! The banter between these 2 people is extremely impressive & entertaining, because they are so highly educated & knowledgeable that their conversation just flows so flawlessly - they are a pleasure to observe & learn from!! 🔆 This is my 1st video on this Channel & I’m totally enjoying it!! Thank you!!

[@visnuexe]

Very I formative discussion! I am inspired by Sam's method of cycling his yard for native bees and critters. I have rewilded my back yard this year, and do leave the stalks up for the birds in the Winter for their winter food. I will need to add areas for native bees to nest, borrow so I can know when they are active. I get a variety of these already, but would like to increase the odd ones.

[@j.b.4340]

So fascinating. I’m inspired.

[@jillbeans1573]

Thank you I learned a lot, and as my usual, I know that I want to learn even more.

[@rebeccagrabarchuk537]

This was so awesome!

[@judithhuntly2375]

Amazing intellectual, I formative and enjoyable interview with all 3. Enjoyed Summers questions and banter, Sawyers interacting too 😊. Can I just mention Sam's Amazing hair not to detract from his knowledge on his specialist subject but it looked so so good on him. Loved this interview and will be taking away a lot of good information and now has me needing more I formation 😂. Definately would request a follow up visit ❤😊

[@alexialorentz2428]

This is such a wonderful video. I shared it with a few homeschooling groups I'm in.

[@Neilhuny]

Bees are the reason I first "discovered" you, how could I not love this?! (In case of doubt: I love this)

[@sonjajohn1166]

This was a very enjoyable video. I love your methods & ideas. Speaking of the deer coming onto your property, you said, “they come but don’t leave, They go in my freezer”. I wasn’t expecting you to say that and I laughed so hard. Deer are beautiful but also a nuisance to country folk trying to grow food for their families. They are, also, very good to eat. Do you have other videos that teach the same as this one??

[@ByDesign333]

Fascinating!!! Thank you.

[@midoann]

Amazing vídeo! I learnt so much about insects, plants, environment… this scientist is so coherent and mindful related to living cycle. I was so so happy that I’d subscribed (I know her work on You Tube for many years and she is a pro too). Love from 🇯🇵

[@DavidDavida]

#NatureFirst! i love this ..

[@Thewildmanwoods]

Love this …so much I’ve learned….what an wonderful chap …MR BEE ❤❤ thanks guys for all your passion…wish I was nearby…wales uk xxxxxx. …come to visit if ever in wales 😂🥰nature is our passion too x

[@grandfatherrabbit]

Lots of awesome information, thank you very much for the video.

[@elsbeet396]

So so interessant👌👏🐝🌼🪵vielen Dank

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

When Summer gets excited she tends to interupt a lot. --- If you get an expert - let them talk and just listen

[@2-_-B-_-continued]

it's called a conversation, not an interruption

[@ByDesign333]

It's not perfect, but it works. It's that coffee thermos mebbe 😊

[@Fellowtellurian]

She’s doing great. Keeping things moving and covering a lot of topics.

[@carolewarner101]

Sweet! Great info.

[@kLafied]

Around 13:57 - I thought about this a lot once I started adding native plants to my yard last summer. I had planted milkweed in my yard and ended up with monarch caterpillars. They ate through so much I had to go to the store to buy more! Now when I hear people say they are planting a couple milkweed plants in their yard for the Monarchs, I wonder if it does more hard than good? And same question goes for other host plants.

[@ellysaevans5619]

This man is like the Paul Stamets of bees. I could listen to him foreeeevverrr.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

great analogy!

[@paulacothren3591]

At minute 57:30 I am almost positive that Sam is referring to powder post beetles. These beetles prefer old dry hardwoods and are often found in dry hardwood joists and rafters and even antique oak furniture.

[@mxmm572]

Ohhhhggggg Sam is my bee hero

[@JimFishwick]

I've seen many video's on this subject but this is one of the best. So nice to get caught up in his enthusiasm for the subject. But please please please keep your interruptions to a bare minimum. If you ask a question allow him to answer in full, otherwise the viewer is left frustrated.

[@perrinpartee557]

Cool interview & cool dude. I’m now subscribing!

[@ac42405]

Well, I couldn't help watching this video twice. And the Basket Making video.

[@cresentiae]

Thank you #SaveSoil #Consciousplanet

[@ren2ski]

Love this interview thank you. When we grow sunflowers (no feeders Sam, promise lol) the cockatoos land on them and eat them….happy they’re getting a feed…disappointed we miss out on sunflower seeds 😂

[@pier6976]

LOVE...he said have "way much fun" with sedum and opuntia...speaking my language

[@emilywong6923]

"the beautiful and picturesque" A J Downing

[@LMLewis]

USDA has done so much damage to the environment in a misguided effort to serve the agriculture industry.

[@DavidRodriguez-gl5pn]

And still continue to do so because money means more to people than the earth itself

[@krknfmkr8919]

Move the department of agriculture to the Midwest. That's where the people they are supposed to serve live

[@jwhite5396]

Wild Ones is a nation wide group that promotes native landscapes through education, advocacy, and collaborative action. You can join a group near you or watch their videos on KZbin. I’d love to see less turf grass and more native grasses and flowers.

[@krknfmkr8919]

@@jwhite5396 I like the idea of permaculture and food forests. They are good for the environment

[@krknfmkr8919]

@@jwhite5396 but, yeah, for turf areas native grasses are better, and easier to keep healthy

[@LMLewis]

Last year, it occurred to me that we need more data about the timing of plant bloom and pollinator arrivals as it appeared that wildflowers in my garden were responding differently to changes than the animal life, and I was interesed to hear Dorege say that there aren't enough studies on the subject.

[@krknfmkr8919]

We used to get lots of bees in our coal pile (rural Utah 60s) we would get them on the furnace coal pile; companies used to spray the coal with sugars so it would ignite better

[@silvinamiller2388]

Handsome... and so interesting guy...

[@TempestBrown-m6m]

If you live in New Zealand and want more birds in your garden or yard ,grow native plants. Different trees will attract different birds most of which are endemic. Happy Hunting

[@chucklitecky2181]

Did Sam research specialist bees and native oaks? A botanist named Doug Tallame has been analogously to Sam researching the relationship between oak trees and their specialist caterpillars for the feeding of baby songbirds. Important research related to our declining population of songbirds and a natural concern for your forest.

[@swdroege]

Yes, I have known Doug for years. We see things the same way, but he looks at Nature through caterpillar binoculars and I look through bee binoculars, so for Doug oaks are hugely important, but for me ...meh, not used very often. Both views are equally valid, and there are many more binoculars to look at nature through out there and so in sum all plants are the keystones for some group of insects and support of many lives

[@studiohost]

People like him (us) are everywhere,but in reality most folks are afraid of our uniqueness. So, you go to Walmart , a place you can “relate “ too.

[@lynnmoss2127]

Thank you for this. What are some other plants for growing in stumps in full sun, please? I'm thinking clematis, but maybe a more drought tolerant plant is best?

[@tracy419]

I'm curious as well, because we have a lot of tree sections we were going to cut for firewood, but it stinks to burn so we've been letting them rot in a pile. Would be nice to stage them around the yard and plant into them instead.

[@virginiasummer2619]

Pumpkins, squashes do great there. I grow them in my stumps to cover them while they rot away and some o& them comeback on their own.Nasturtiums would be a good companion to these.

[@bogtrottername7001]

Be sure to plant native Clematis .

[@lynnmoss2127]

I love clematis but I thought a log planter would get too dry?@@bogtrottername7001

[@rachelstark2391]

Is there a return visit scheduled?

[@metacyclic]

y'all got sidetracked when going to view the plantings in the recent wood chips. no worries, the discussion was very informative. thank you for the focus on our native plants and insects

[@TDN3052]

Something tells me when you build the greenhouses you want at Flock, that you might end up opening the all-inclusive native plant nursery that you can't find anywhere. If you do shipping I'll definitely be a customer! You could call it the "Bee Buffet Nursey" or the "Roost Nursery" or something. Just throwing out ideas :)

[@vickymyers3804]

Speaking of white in late Summer Fall when my swath of garlic chives are blooming they are covered in bees.

[@LittleSpaceCase]

Osmia species here lay the males in the front and the females in the back. Hypothesized that if something comes to dig out the holes, or the back ones crush everyone in front, the males are less valuable to lose? Could also just be hormonal and the timing works out that males are laid last. I think males being laid last is commonly shared amongst a lot of bee species so it may just be a holdover.

[@rachelstark2391]

Greetings, Is that roof material good for the soil as it breaks down? Cheers, Upstate NY

[@swdroege]

doubtful, ultimately probably just become dirt or have to be landfilled

[@joanneadahk124]

Paul staments says they pile on mycelium to self medicate. Maybe there's some in the wood chips?

[@Antarctica2025]

Can you post the general location, zone etc?

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Yes, it's in the description. Including the link to the USGS Bee Lab.

[@ginawyatt8129]

I had a carpenter bee drilling into my Adirondack deck chair. One day I was feeling along the bottom foot board, for no particular reason, and found a hole. Of course I put my finger in it, and was STUNG by a bee...must have been the female bee protecting her hole, and obviously tail outward. So she does sting!

[@peterbathum2775]

Ive been ruminating on building a stand alone exterior solar heater out of clay chimney flue pieces arranged horizontally so the air path moves back and forth as it goes upward through them; the heating of the flue draws in colder air from the base of the room, returning heated air at the the top; the whole deal is enclosed in an air tight envelope, using masonry on the back and glass on the sun/south facing side. Seeing this, a mortar/straw bale wall for heat absorption mass, would be good for bees. Im concerned it may get too hot in the summer. I plan to include an air exchange shut off to my house for the summer; maybe Ill need a shade cover ?

[@jewel.s.journey]

❤

[@PatriciaCampos-lk3sj]

Hello, this was my first watching your channel and I politely want to agree with your viewer Yurihuta8487 in that Sam is extremely knowledgeable. However, you kept interrupting him and you didn't let him answer your question completely before you moved on to another question. Is there a way that you can go back to visit him and just let him talk without you asking questions? On your video, there were many times when you seem to agree with Sam and added some of your own information only for him to correct you. Please let others completely answer your questions so that we, your audience can learn. Thank you so much for interviewing people like Sam.

[@peterbathum2775]

next visit my grands get to use the drill outside ...

[@rachelstark2391]

Sam, Are you a native of Maryland?

[@swdroege]

Indeed...!

[@rachelstark2391]

@swdroege I am as well...transplanted many a place...now in NY. When I heard Patuxent River and Route 301, I went down a rabbit hole. Great work you are doing there. Love the foto of the Sweat Bee with all that pollen! Cheers and Merry Spring, Rachel